2 lith-developer questions...

After having stocked up on Forte Polywarmtone, I quite like the feeling of 'full larders". Now I would like to buy lith developer in bigger volumes. I would like to know how long unmixed concentrates are likely to last in opened canisters and which brand is the most durable? I would also like to know whether Maco's Superlith is more "potent"then other brands (Fotospeed, Moersch).

Hey, I don't know how long it will last, but night before last I cracked open some Fotospeed Lith Developer that I had not used for 2 years, and it worked great. I even spiked it with some 2 year old Old Brown that still worked. It smelled like dead fish, but it worked!

After having stocked up on Forte Polywarmtone, I quite like the feeling of 'full larders". Now I would like to buy lith developer in bigger volumes. I would like to know how long unmixed concentrates are likely to last in opened canisters and which brand is the most durable? I would also like to know whether Maco's Superlith is more "potent"then other brands (Fotospeed, Moersch).

Thanks Jaap Jan

Maco and Fotospeed lith devs seem to have an extremely long shelf life - in Fotospeed's case well past (years) the use-by date. Moersch (formaldehyde free) lith developers have a fairly short shelf life though.
Tim

Moersch lith shelf life

I just tried some Moersch lith today. By coincidence, I opened the bottle for the first time exactly one year ago (Jan 20, 2006). Today the bottle is half full. The capacity appears to be fine, using Forte PWT paper and 1:1:10 (A:B:water).

This doesn't mean the Moersch shelf life is as long as the other developers. However, at least for me, even in opened bottles it's not that bad....